Forgotten Pasts
by Wakka02
Summary: Red is traveling the region, searching for something he does not know. All he knows is that he has lost something, or someone, very important to him and he wants it back. What he does not know is that she does not want to be found...
1. Prologue

**Forgotten Pasts**

_**Prologue**_

"_Where are you going?"_

"_I'm leaving. I'm sorry. No, don't… Let go of me …"_

"_Why? Why do you have to leave? Don't go, don't, stay, please. Don't go…"_

"_I… can't tell you. Don't cry. Please… Don't make this hard. Goodbye…"_

_A figure, walking away into the darkness. A hand, outstretched, reaching after the disappearing silhouette…_

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Deep within the Viridian Forest, a pair of black eyes opened, staring and scanning the night sky. All the eyes saw was the inky darkness of the void above, the white sparkles of the stars winking back.

The youth awoke with a start. He sat up, clutching his head in his arms, trying to remember the edges of the dream he'd had, but it was rapidly slipping away from him, sliding out from under his mental grasp.

"Not again…" He groaned, before catching himself. He'd been thinking out loud. Next to him, what looked deceptively like a yellow ball of fur with a lightning bolt attached to it stirred and moved at the sound.

"There now, I'm sorry. Go back to sleep, it was just a dream. Go on." Hearing the soft words of its master, consoling and cajoling it back to its slumber, the yellow mouse opened a pink mouth, gave a yawn and gladly sank back into sleep.

Lying back, the spiky-haired boy attempted to find solace in sleep once more, but the blessed peace of rest eluded him. Instead, he found himself staring up at the night sky, his mind stubbornly refusing to give up on locating the exact details of the dream he'd just gone through. Sensing his uneasiness, Pika stirred and looked at him sleepily. Its master turned his head and smiled. Resting his hand on Pika's flank, he patted it and told it to go back to sleep, that he was all right. The Pokémon, satisfied, laid its head on its paws once more.

Sighing, Red closed his eyes firmly and gave himself over to sleep.

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A/N: Wow. It's been, what, two years? Two and a half? Ever since I'd finished with "Old Loves, Old Hatreds", I thought I'd seen the end of my fanfiction career, that I'd created a fanfiction which might not be the best but one I was proud of, but all of a sudden inspiration strikes and poof, I have a new story going. A warning though, this story can be predicted to be a pretty sad one, so if angst isn't really your thing I suggest you stop reading from this prologue onwards.

This story is basically a sequel to the manga Pokémon Adventures, a pretty good book in my opinion, up to Book 7 anyway. So if you're wondering, yes Red is that Red, or to those who don't know who he is you can refer him to Ash Ketchum, they have pretty similar Pokémon and lives and personalities, though Red isn't quite as gullible. But this Author's Note is getting way too long, so I'm signing off here. See you all next chapter…


	2. Homecoming

**Forgotten Pasts**

_**Homecoming**_

Despite his fitful rest the night before, Red was up early. By the time the sun's rays first speared the sky, Red had finished packing his camping gear and was ready to set off. Pika sat up, ears alert and tail twitching while waiting for his master to finally be off.

Red hefted his backpack onto his shoulders. Adjusting the pack to settle more comfortably around his shoulders, he took a moment to stare around at the forest. His eyes scanned the place with a puzzled look on his face, not unlike the one he'd been wearing the day before when he had first entered the forest from the Cerulean side.

"There's something familiar about this place that I can't recall. I can't seem to place it, but something... big happened here, didn't it Pika? Something… titanic. I don't know… I feel like I oughtta be attached to the place…" Red mused as he took in the surroundings. He lost himself in his thoughts as he gazed around at the trees towering high above him, lost in a reverie so deep that he didn't notice his Pokémon's worried gaze.

Shaking his head, Red cleared his mind. "I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Hey boy, what's with the look? We're setting off now, don't worry about that." Red laughed, misinterpreting Pika's expression. With a resolute shrug, Red began to walk down the forest path towards Viridian City. The yellow mouse sighed and trotted after his owner on all four paws.

The trip through the woods was uneventful. The local Pokémon were less than restless, to say the least. None of them seemed to be inclined to challenge the teenager to a fight, which was just as well; Red wasn't nearly in the mood for entertaining belligerent Pokémon. But he noted with interest the peaceful atmosphere within the forest, as if the Pokémon all lived together in peace and harmony with each other. And whoever heard of a forest full of the wild things, co-existing together without any fighting at all? It just didn't make sense.

Shrugging again, Red dismissed it as unimportant. He had more important things to worry about besides Pokémon with no battle instincts at all. In fact, such a situation served him, for he was able to traverse the woods quickly and briskly. If all went well, he'd be in Pallet by noon.

Walking on in a reverie, Red didn't notice the way Pika was gamboling through the forest.

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Viridian City was a misnomer. For its size and peaceful silence, Viridian was more town than city. It was a collection of small, peaceful buildings with small, peaceful people. The morning air was brisk and crisp, and with most people indoors a small, peaceful silence had descended upon the whole city.

Well. _Almost_ the whole city.

From the eastern wing of the city, a sharp, high-pitched voice rose in laughter, cutting through the light serenity of that end of town. A short girl in her mid-tens ran across the border of the Viridian forest, chasing what looked like a yellow blur of fur with a pink flower stuck on it.

"Chuchu, _wait!_ You know I can't run that fast!" Laughing and gasping for breath at the same time, the girl brushed strands of long yellow hair from her face which had fallen out of place. She wore a brownish smock, one which covered her entire body from neckline to feet, and in her hand she clutched a hat made of straw.

Failing to see a stone in her path, Yellow tripped and tumbled lightly onto the soft green grass, successfully but not intentionally drenching herself in morning dew. She lay on her back a moment and gasped for air, while her Pokémon danced and ran around her, trying to get the girl to go back to the game of tag.

"Just a moment, Chuchu. Just let me… get my breath back." Yellow managed to say, albeit breathlessly. With another laugh, she caught the Pikachu in her arms and enfolded it in a tight hug. The Pokémon endured this with tolerance, affection even, for such hugs came often and without warning. She enjoyed it and so did her master, so Chuchu saw no harm in the activity. Releasing the rodent (a tail twitched with disappointment), Yellow stood up and looked around.

"Wow Chuchu, we sure ran far today!" Yellow exclaimed. They were in the western side of town, near the entrance of the Viridian Forest. There was that old man who always stood by the entrance to town, unmovable unless given his cup of specially brewed coffee made by his granddaughter. He seemed to be in a good humor that day, which was a good thing; Yellow never did like the arguments he raised with total strangers who were passing by minding their own business. Such quarrels usually turned out to be loud and annoying.

Wet from the dew on the grass, Yellow decided that it was time to return home and have a shower. Recalling her Chuchu, she promised she would play more with it later, after spending some time in the shower room. Walking past the old man, she called out a greeting, expecting nothing more than a friendly greeting in turn. The news she received, however, was not what Yellow had been expecting.

"Hey Yellow! Seems a lot of familiar faces are passing by this morning, eh?" The old man chuckled to himself, as if recalling something amusing from earlier. Yellow stopped, her curiosity piqued.

"A lot? Who?"

"Why, it's that young kid from Pallet, of course. Can't exactly place his name… Wears a hat. Has this Pikachu with him, feisty little thing it was too. Scarlet? Red? Yea, Red, that's the ticket. He passed by about sunrise, when I was here up and early with my morning coffee. Said hi to me too, the good kid. You don't see many kids with manners these days, that's for sure. Told me he was heading for Pallet… Hey, where are you going?" The old man stopped in mid-ramble when he saw Yellow speeding away across town. Not hearing the old man, Yellow's mind was racing just as fast as she was running as she sped towards home, to quickly prepare for a trip to Pallet. One thought kept flashing in big neon lights through her thoughts.

_Red is back!_

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"That's funny; I could have sworn I heard my name…" Red stopped in mid-step and turned, peering down the way he'd come. He stared down the path for a while longer, then shrugged – he seemed to be doing that a lot lately – and started off the way he'd been heading in once more.

"I don't know why I'm coming here really, just a thought that I'd find _something_ back here that would tell me about… Ah, there it is." Red, murmuring to himself, crested a small hill and looked out over the small serene town of Pallet. He was struck by a sense of… _cleanliness_ about the place. The whole town practically shown with clean whiteness, no sign of pollution was seen anywhere. The sea on the other end of town sparkled in the afternoon sun, a sight rarely seen anywhere else.

Red stood there for a moment, then came back to himself with a start. Looking down, he saw Pika tugging on his trousers, impatient to be off. He gave a short chuckle, called the mouse back into its Pokéball and walked down to the town which looked like it had come out of an artist's masterpiece. As his footsteps carried him towards the tiny cluster of buildings, an unexplainable thought pushed its way into his mind, and try though he might he did not know where it came from nor why he felt that way.

He was home.

A/N: Wow this is a long chapter. I didn't expect it to turn out this way, but I just kept on writing and writing and the words just flowed on, so here it is at a whopping 1,301 words. Just thought I'd get back to the story before I left for the week, I'm not allowed to use the computer except on weekends so I guess it's goodbye for another five days or so. And even then the updates will be slow going because my exams are coming up and I need to prepare for them… So don't expect once a day updates or maybe even once a week posts. I'll update as often as I can though. I have the next chapter floating around in my head already…

Till next week then people.


	3. Forgetting to Remember

**Forgotten Pasts**

_**Forgetting to Remember**_

Walking amongst the townsfolk, Red was startled at the way people looked at him. They were all friendly and smiling and… well, friendly, and it gave him an unsettling feeling. It was as if… Nah. Not possible.

Nevertheless Red found himself shouting back greetings to those who called out to him. He even caught himself smiling at these strangely familiar people, which was rare; he hardly smiled to anyone except his Pokémon anymore. His footsteps slowed from a brisk, quick trot to a slow relaxing walk. The cap on his head turned this way and that as Red's eyes took in his surroundings – the dirt path he was walking on, the squat, homey buildings along the sides and most of all the calm atmosphere of the place. It was enjoyable, just walking in the noon sun in this small town.

He walked and walked, lost in the tranquil ambience of Pallet Town, noticing every small detail except where he was going. Consequently, he walked headfirst into another person without even realizing it. Both individuals fell over backwards onto the hard floor, Red emitting a startled exclamation while the other party gave a similar sound of surprise. Clambering up, Red hastened to the other man's side and offered him a hand.

Upon closer inspection, Red saw that he had collided with a much older man, probably in his mid-forties. The elder man's hair was grey with just a hint of white to it, and it had a remarkably flat top. The man had black eyes not unlike Red's, but his face was lined with age. A white lab coat was put on over a red officious-looking shirt, but Red could tell by the way the man took his proffered hand that this was no old, flabby scientist.

"I'm sorry. Are you all right? I didn't mean to bump into you; I guess I wasn't looking where I was going." Red attempted to explain the situation, but instead of the forgiving look or reprimanding glance he had expected to see in the man's eyes, he saw surprised recognition and pleasure. The man hauled himself to his feet with one fluid motion, once more confirming Red's suspicion that he had been, if not was still, a fighter of considerable skill. What puzzled the youth was the expression he'd seen in the elder man's eyes, and there was something about the man that triggered something at the back of Red's mind…

"Red! You're back! Why, we were beginning to think something had happened to you!" The scientist threw his head back and laughed, but stopped when he saw the shock and puzzlement on Red's face. "What's the matter?"

"Sir…" Red started slowly, "You know me?"

"Of course I know you, how could I have forgotten the way you barged into my lab and released all my Pokémon at once? I say, I still remember how that Pidgey of mine dirtied my face as it flew over me…" Once more he gave that laugh, but it was cut short when Red showed no sign of recognition at the memory.

"Red, you don't remember… do you?" The question was tentative, hesitant. As Red regretfully shook his head, the old man's face grew grave. "I think… you had better follow me. This way, Red." Turning, the old man started to walk the way he had come, with a speed that belied his years.

Red was confused. Who was this aged scientist, to command him to follow him? Who was this officious man, who seemed to know him, very well for that matter? The person's face stirred something within Red, but try as he might he just could not place a name to that face. He did know one thing however, and that was this man knew him. And that was all he needed to know to keep Red on the man's heels.

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Red followed the man up a relatively undisturbed pathway. Grass was beginning to grow on the edges of the wide dirt road; obviously not many used the pathway often. It led to a foreboding looking building, which Red guessed was a laboratory of sorts, and from the easy way the old man was entering the building it was likely that he lived there.

The room was dark, but the man found the light switch easily in the darkness. Light flooded the room as fingers flicked the switch, and Red was taken aback at the contents of the room. Rows and rows of Pokéballs sat on shelves and tables. Some were empty while others were occupied; it seemed that all of the Pokémon were extremely docile and well-behaved.

"Red."

A voice reminded him that he was not alone in the laboratory. He looked up, at the man who had called his name, whose face was set with more than his forty-odd years. This time Red saw sadness and faint glimmers of hope in those eyes, a hope which faded away when the eyes searched but found no signs of recognition on Red's face. The lines of worry and sadness grew deeper.

A silence fell between the two people. It grew, blossomed into an encompassing awkwardness, and soon Red found it difficult to speak. He began to think of excuses to escape from the building, from this man standing in front of him, but his mind told him he should not. It was the other party who salvaged the situation.

"Red, I am Professor Oak. Do you remember me?" The words seemed deafening in the silence.

"Professor… Oak…" Red repeated the words slowly. The name resounded within him, as if he ought to know the name, but it was difficult. What remained of his memory produced an extremely blurred image to that name, and try as he might he could not refine that picture into one which he recognized. Red slowly shook his head. "I'm sorry, Professor. I don't know you. But I feel I should… somehow…"

The flames of hope which had dwindled to ashes in the eyes of the Professor kindled once more to a small ember. Oak half turned and gestured towards a table, saying, "I think you'd better start at the beginning, Red. But before that, I think we should have a seat." His tone was kind as he said the words, but he could hardly mask the worry that was behind the inflections of the syllables.

Once the two people had settled down at a surprisingly uncluttered and clean white table, Oak folded his hands in front of him and waited. Red shifted uncomfortably in his chair, considering his options. He could speak the truth, but he could just as easily say nothing on the subject. After all, it wasn't smart to tell someone you didn't know truths about yourself. But something in him said that it was safe to tell this Professor Oak, so he decided to go with the truth and see how things developed from there.

"There isn't much to tell, sir. I don't remember anything except my name and my Pokémon. That's about everything I know."

"Ah." Oak sighed. He had surmised as much from Red's actions and words from earlier, but he had hoped… "You remember nothing else?"

"No, nothing, sir. Except…" Red stopped. A dream, half-formed, half-remembered, he was about to say. A dream of separation, of unbearable loss. Dreams that plagued him deep in the night, every night…

"Except…?" Oak prompted. The youth shook his head, keeping his silence. Another awkward silence threatened to fall over the two when the door suddenly swung open, startling both of them. Red half-rose, ready to bolt if the situation demanded it.

A boy in his early teens barged into the room. He was wearing a straw hat a brownish smock which covered his entire body, with shoes to match. He was short for a boy, so Red surmised that he had yet to reach or had only just entered puberty. The kid exclaimed with delight when he saw Red, and ran across the room to enfold the red-clad teen in a hug.

"Red! You're back! You're back!" The boy was literally laughing in delight. Red was unsure how to deal with the sudden change of events, and looked helplessly to Oak for help. Professor Oak sighed and managed to convince the young boy to let go of Red, but Red had noticed the sigh and wondered what it was for. Strangely enough, he felt as if the yellow-haired kid was related to him somehow. Red stared at him in puzzlement, and the boy stared right back.

"Red, you were away for so long, we'd thought something had happened to you, and I wanted to go find you but Professor Oak wouldn't let me, so I waited and waited for you to come back and oh I've missed you _so much_!" The boy's words tumbled over one another in his eagerness to get them out. He was going to hug Red again, but this time the teenager stepped back, holding his hands up to ward the boy off.

Noting Red's uncertainty on how to keep this unfamiliar boy away from him, Oak cleared his throat. Walking in between the two, the professor looked at the boy, his voice heavy as he said, "Yellow, Red doesn't remember…"

"Yellow?"

The Professor whipped around, his lab coat brushing against Yellow's face, causing him to stumble back hastily. Red was looking at him in wonder, his eyes showing recognition at last.

"Yellow… I know that name…" Soft words, but Oak heard it. The embers of hope burned brighter, stronger. Perhaps there was hope left after all. Eagerly, he asked, "Red, you remember Yellow?" Putting a hand behind him, he brought the smaller, confused boy into view. "Do you remember him?"

"Professor, what's going on? Of course he remembers me. Right, Red?" Yellow looked to his senior for confirmation. Yellow was as confused as he could be, wondering what was going on.

"Yellow… I vaguely recall... A boy, who had something to do with Pika. Wasn't it?" Putting a hand to his belt, he detached a red-white sphere and brought it up to eye level, staring at the minute yellow mouse within it. Pika nodded its head fervently, naked relief shining in its eyes that its master had remembered that much at least. But that was all that Red could dredge up from his memory banks. His head started to hurt from the over-exertion of trying to remember. Closing his eyes, he shook his head. "I'm sorry, that's all I know. I can't remember much else."

Opening his eyes, he saw Yellow's face, and then he saw the impact his words had on the young boy. There was horror written on that face, coupled with fear and disbelief. Tears were beginning to form in those round pupils.

"No…"

Yellow lunged forward, caught hold of Red's vest and started to shake it, staring up at Red's eyes staring back at him, demanding an explanation, not wanting to believe it was true. Red tried, but could not detach the boy from him. Oak did not move to help him, but watched as tears flowed freely down Yellow's face as he cried into Red's vest.

Red unconsciously reached down and laid a hand on Yellow's straw hat, trying to offer what comfort he could. The boy did not stop crying, although the sobs did grow lesser in intensity. When the sounds of crying resounded no more in the room, Oak cut in gently.

"I think it's time we cleared things up a little bit." Yellow nodded mutely into Red's shirt, and Red bobbed his head in silent agreement.

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A/N: Sorry for the very abrupt ending, because I'm starting to develop some form of writer's block or something. Hopefully it will be cured by next chapter.

Yes, as everyone has undoubtedly already deduced, Red lost his memory some time back, and doesn't remember anything at all. What he does remember and how he lost his memory, we'll get to it all in due time, so be patient.

For those who have yet to read the manga, I'd suggest you go do so if you can, because 1) It's seriously a good book, 2) you probably won't know many of the extra characters or why they're behaving in the way they behave in the story, and 3) it's seriously a good book. LoL.

For those who have yet to read the manga and can't do so, I'll do a little character profile here. It might be a slight spoiler for those who haven't read the manga and intend to read it sometime soon, but in that case I suggest you read the book first then come back and read my story.

**Character Profile One**

Name: Red

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Pokémon owned: Pikachu, Poliwrath, Venusaur, Snorlax, Aerodactyl, Gyrados

Personality: Outgoing, cheerful, bubbly, very friendly towards everyone

Special notes: Pokémon league winner

Extra comments: You'll notice that Red's personality has changed a lot in my story. Losing your memory tends to do that to you.

**Character Profile Two**

Name: Yellow

Gender: Female

Age: 14

Pokémon owned: Pikachu, Omastar, Golem, Butterfree, Dordrio, Rattata

Personality: Trusting, dislikes violence, friendly to all

Special notes: Has ability to heal Pokémon and read Pokémon thoughts

Extra comments: Yes, Yellow is a girl. Has been and will always be a girl. You'll notice that I refer to her as a "him" in the story, that's because by book 7, where my story picks up, she hides her identity as a girl. Red doesn't know she's a girl, and I suspect she keeps her identity a secret from him still even after everything was over is because she's too shy. So since this is Red's POV, I'll refer to her as a "him" till the time is right. As to why she did it in the first place, well you'll have to read the book to find out, no?

See you all next time… Hopefully my next chapter will be better. Ciao.


	4. Did You Forget

**Forgotten Pasts**

_**Did You Forget**_

It was stiflingly silent in the room, broken only occasionally by Yellow's hiccups. Red was seated opposite the small boy, with Professor Oak somewhere to the side of the two. Red looked warily from old man to small boy, unsure of how to deal with the situation at hand. Finally Oak filled the silence with his voice.

"So. Red… How did you… lose your memory?" The enquiry was hesitant, reluctant, as if Professor Oak was still hoping that Red would spring up from his wooden chair and shout "Surprise!" in his face. Sadly, Red shook his head gave a small shrug.

"I don't know, sir."

Yellow couldn't believe it. Red, _Red_ had forgotten him, it wasn't possible, no, it just couldn't be. He made to jump out of the seat and leap at Red, but Oak laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. Gravely, Oak shook his head at the small boy.

"All right then, Red. Where do your memories pick up from?" At the question, Red tilted his head and crossed his arms. After a while, he began to speak.

"Well sir, all I know is that somehow I got up from a stone floor in some cave someplace. The back of my head was hurting, as if someone had clubbed me across the back of my head, and the rest of my body was aching a little as well. I walked and walked, looking for light of some sort, and when I finally found it I saw these guys, in their Pokéballs on the floor just outside the cave, all waiting for… someone." Red had been about to say "me", but he had no idea where he had got that idea from. Come to think of it…

Oak interrupted his thoughts. " 'These guys', you say?"

Red patted the Pokéballs at his belt. "Yeah. These Pokémon. I didn't know any of them, but there was one…" He brought his hand up, holding one of the six spheres, and in it was Pika.

"Pika was the only one who I recognized. I knew it at first sight, but… I don't know why. I took him up, but I couldn't just leave the others there. They'd die if no one took care of them. Strangely enough, all of them seemed… relieved, kind of, when I picked them up one by one from the floor. Odd, isn't it?

Anyway, I emerged into Pewter, a city just off Viridian Forest. I walked all the way across it and went into the forest… Don't ask me why, I just felt that I had to, if I wanted to remember things. I thought, maybe I'd find answers if I went to where I started, don't ask me where I got that thought from either. It just popped into my head and stayed there.

Then that night, there was this…" Here, Red's telling faltered and stopped. There it was again, a flash of dream memory; the shadow of a back, walking away, and he reached out, but couldn't -

"This…?" Oak's prompting jolted Red out of his reverie. Shaking his head, Red shrugged non-commitedly and said shortly, "It's nothing." Somehow, that dream had felt too personal to share. Oak said nothing, but Yellow was more insistent.

"What? What is it? Did it have something to do with me? Tell me, Red!" In response to this, the teenager simply shook his head and went on with his story.

"There's not much less to tell, sir," Addressing Oak, Red did his best to ignore the question. Yellow's insists subsided, and he sat back down with tears in his eyes, but his eyes never left Red's face. "I passed through the forest, went down through Viridian and arrived here, where I met you, sir. That's all there is." Red stopped, and looked away, trying to find back that dream and make sense of it.

Oak was still processing all the information in his head, when Yellow asked, hesitantly, "Red…? Could I borrow Pika for a while?" Immediately Red's hand went to the Pokéball, hovering over it protectively. "Why?"

"I thought… I just thought I'd read his memories, see if there's anything else that Pika knows…" At this, Red's eyes widened, and Oak whipped around to face Yellow.

"You can _do_ that?" Awed, he wasn't sure whether to believe the small boy or not. But… something stirred in his mind. A boy who could read Pokémon minds… But Oak was already nodding eagerly at this new prospect. "Yes, of course! How could I have missed it? Red, if you would…"

Red wasn't sure about it, and brought Pika up in front of his face. He saw that the Pokémon was a little reluctant about the idea as well, but there was a kind of determination written all over the small mouse's face. Nodding, he handed the Pokéball over to Yellow.

Cupping it in both hands, the sandy haired boy lowered his face close to the ball, and a mysterious white light began to shine between boy and ball. Red watched in wonder as he witnessed it. After a while, Yellow glanced up.

"Pika doesn't remember much more than Red does, sir," Yellow said disappointedly, "He remembers a flash of yellow light, and the next thing he knew he was in a Pokéball near Mt. Moon, along with the other of Red's Pokémon, sir. As to what they were doing before that flash, he can only recall the front door of Cerulean Gym."

No one said anything for a while, and the silence threatened to settle in again until once again Oak filled the empty gap with his voice.

"Well. There's not much to go on from either memory," The professor could barely keep the disappointment and worry out of his voice. Clearing his throat, the aged man continued, "One thing for sure is that Cerulean is of some importance in this story. Red, as your mentor, I can only suggest that you pay a visit to Cerulean City, and see if you can learn anything there."

Red tilted his head and crossed his arms again. _Mentor? Did this guy just say mentor?_ Brushing the thought off, he thought through the idea of heading to Cerulean carefully. The idea made sense, and come to think of it, it was a wonder he hadn't thought of it sooner. But then again, he didn't have the ability to see through Pika's thoughts. Red nodded and made to leave.

"Thank you, professor. And thank you… Yellow." The name came difficult to Red's lips, and he pondered it for a while. Who was this Yellow person to him anyway? But before he could pursue that line of thought further, Oak was already suggesting to Yellow that Yellow follow Red on his journey, which Yellow of course agreed to.

_Oh well. His ability to read Pokémon thoughts might be useful. Besides, I want to know… Who is he to me?_ Aloud, Red said, "I don't mind, sir. I'll take care of him on the way, don't worry." At this, Oak smiled faintly. "I don't think you'll find him much of a bother, Red. Take care on your journey, you two. Yellow, update me as soon as something happens, all right?"

Nodding, Yellow turned and quickly ran after Red, who had already gone through the door to the laboratory, eager to start regaining his memories at last.

Looking out the door at the two, Professor Oak stood there and sighed. Turning, he swiftly penned a letter explaining the current situation, then released a Pokéball. There was a _poof_ of smoke, and a large bird with handsome streaks of yellow and red down its head all the way to it tail emerged from the smoke. Tying the letter to the Pidgeot, Professor Oak stroked its back and whispered, "Find Blue, Pidgeot. I'm counting on you."

With a soft cry, the bird flapped its wings once, twice, and flew out the open door into the skies.

A/N: Oh my GOD it's been so so SO long since I last updated. I am so sorry people! Life really has been really busy these days, I just enlisted and let me tell you, the army is no place to bring a laptop into. To all my readers, I am so sorry!! And what's more I'm booking into camp really, really soon, so I don't have any time to leave any replies. I swear, next chapter I'll answer ALL your reviews, so hang in there people!


	5. Distant Adversary

**Forgotten**** Pasts**

**Distant Adversary**

Red walked on ahead with Yellow trailing along disconsolately behind him. Neither spoke much, Red being far too engrossed in his own thoughts and Yellow in his. Red was preoccupied with his own hazy memories of a dream, reaching out and trying to unlock his past memories which he was sure lay deep inside his mind _somewhere_, if he could only find out where. Yellow's thoughts, on the other hand, were much simpler; they simply revolved around being unhappy that Red could forget him so.

Minutes passed by in the unnoticed silence, and the two of them didn't think much about it for quite some time. Being silent, however, was not one of Yellow's strong points, and his reverie barely lasted him out of town before he began asking questions.

"Red, how have you been lately?"

"Red, have you really forgotten about me?"

"Red, can I hold Pika for a while? I might be able to see some more into his memory."

"Red, don't you remember anything at all?"

By the time the two of them had arrived in Viridian City, Red was seriously having second thoughts about bringing the boy and his incessant questioning along. He did his best to answer the younger boy's questions, but his patience was beginning to wear thin. Yellow was saved from a bitter telling off, however, when a huge shadow passed by overhead, causing the pair to squint upwards into the sky.

"Oh!" Yellow pointed upwards, his mouth curving into a smile. "Blue!"

_Blue?_ The name struck something in Red's mind. Spiky, arrogant hair, with an attitude to match… A distant memory flashed through Red's mind, and he tried to grope after it when an enormous winged Pokémon landed in front of him with a resounding boom, chasing the memory away. Red glanced up at the rider, while Yellow ran eagerly to the Charizard's side.

"Blue! What are you doing here? I thought you were around in Johto trying to get stronger. It sure is pleasant to see you again, though! And Charizard, it's great to see you again! How've you been, Blue? It's been so long since I saw you last, hasn't it?" Blue hadn't even made it off his Pokémon when Yellow started his machine-gun style of talking. Ignoring the youth, Blue strode over to stand in front of Red, with Yellow fussing over his Charizard behind.

"So. Hello, Red. I've received disturbing news about you." Those were the first words from Blue's mouth, and Red had totally no idea who this guy was or what he was doing here, so all he could do was stare blankly in Blue's face.

"I'm sorry, but… who are you?" Blue's eyes widened, just for a moment, and Red thought he saw something akin to hurt flicker across his eyes. It was gone in a flash though, and Red could almost think that he had imagined it. Blue's eyes narrowed.

"…_Feh_. So what gramps said was true, after all." Reaching a hand out, Blue grabbed the front of Red's shirt and pulled the protesting face close to his own. "Do you truly recall _nothing_, Red?" Angry eyes searched Red's face, scanning for any signs of recognition. Red struggled at first, but then their eyes interlocked and something began to flash across his mind for a split second. He could almost remember-

-when Yellow pushed himself in between the two of them, shouting, "_Blue_! What do you think you're doing, stop that! You'll hurt him!" Yellow positioned himself between his two seniors, arms spread wide to prevent Blue from doing any further harm to Red.

Letting go of Red's shirt, Blue turned around so fast that his cloak whipped around him. With another angry "_Feh_", Blue stalked back to his waiting Charizard and prepared to mount. Crying out, Yellow sped after him.

"Blue, where are you going? You only just arrived!" Blue looked down at the straw-hat, the only part of Yellow which he could see from above. Looking back at Red, the words tumbled out of his mouth harshly, "There's no point staying here. He obviously doesn't remember anything and there's nothing I can do about it. If I stay around any longer I'll be too tempted to punch his face in, so I'm leaving right now."

Kicking Yellow away swiftly –albeit gently – with his foot, Blue began to make preparations to fly when a blast of electricity went flying past his head. It came nowhere near to its mark, but was enough to draw his attention back to the ground. An angry Pika crouched on all fours, with an equally angry Red behind.

"What's with the cocky tone, huh? I don't know who you are, but your belligerent attitude is starting to get to me. You apologize to Yellow for that kick right now, or I'm gonna teach you a lesson in manners."

Blue slid off his Charizard. "Oh? Is that a _challenge_, Red? Because I don't see how someone who can't even remember who's closest to him can remember how to fight." Beside him, Charizard adopted a fighting stance.

"Stop it you two!" Yellow tugged at Blue's sleeve, but the spiky-haired youth jerked his arm out of his reach. "Get back Yellow; this has nothing to do with you."

"Don't remember how to fight, Blue? I'll show you how a Pokémon League Champion fights if you want to," Red's tone was fierce. He raised his hand and was about to order another Thunderbolt on that arrogant, cocky kid in front of him when he saw that Blue was staring at him in shock. "What?"

"Red… Did you just say, _Pokémon League Champion_?"

"I…" Red paused. He _had_ said that, hadn't he? Why? What had made him make such an outrageous claim? And then, like a dam unleashed, a memory began to flood back into his head.

--

_The Charizard in the air was gearing up for a blast, the finishing blow on Venusaur, but Blue had not noticed that he had fallen into the trap that Red had laid for him._

"_Now's our chance! Venusaur, Vine Whip!!" On cue, the large plant Pokémon shot a long vine at the Charizard, ensnaring the lizard in mid-air._

"_Hah! Do you really think a Vine Whip can hold a Charizard?!" Blue shouted, but then noticed something unusual. "Hm? What's a rain cloud doing indoors?" Red was only too glad to reply._

"_That, my dear Blue, isn't just a raincloud… The droplets from Poliwrath, electrically charged by Pika's electricity…" Blue gasped as the truth hit him._

"_And when the electricity charges up… It'll strike that vine!!" Red pointed a triumphant finger at the vine whip._

"_It's a lightning rod! Charizard, blast it away!!" Blue's call to his Pokémon was desperate, but it was too late; Charizard had already been ensnared safely within the vine, and although it did not yet rob the fire lizard of its freedom, it would take too long for the Pokémon to charge up for a fire blast to knock the vine away._

"_These three Pokémon and I have been through a __**lot**__ together! But you… wouldn't… understand…"_

_As the lightning descended, Red's last word was barely audible over the crashing roar of thunder._

"_**Friendship!!"**_

_**--**_

"Red! So you **do** remember!" Yellow tackled him in a flying hug, ecstatic with joy.

"What the- Hey, get off me!" Unprepared, Red stumbled back a few steps, trying hard to detach the boy from himself. When he finally managed to remove Yellow, he looked up to find Blue standing in front of him.

"Red… Do you remember now?"

Red paused, trying hard to remember anything else, but then shook his head regretfully. "Only a little. I remember you and I, squaring off in an arena someplace, and the finale was spectacular, but other than that…" Blue kept his silence, while Yellow, listening intently, burst out, "But what about me? Red, what about me?" Red could only turn and shake his head at the boy.

"Nothing? Still? But… but…" Tears threatened the boy's eyes. Turning away, Yellow's shoulders shook in silent sobs. Blue spoke at this point. "Well. At least you managed to recall that much. And while it's not a memory that I'm particularly proud of, it must have made a lasting impression on you, enough to make you remember it now…"

"Yeah… Hey Yellow, I'm sorry. There, don't cry. I'm sure I'll remember… sometime. I've recalled this much, haven't I?" Yellow looked up, still facing away from Red, and nodded silently. "Promise?"

"I promise. Hey, sorry about the things I said just now." Turning his attention back to Blue, Red rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Seems like you really are someone important to me. I apologize." Red held his other out for a handshake. Taken aback, Blue chuckled. "This is so unlike you, Red." Taking the offered hand, he continued, "I've changed my mind. I'll travel with you… a little while. Maybe I'll unlock a few more memories for you along the way."

--

A/N: THERE, an update. It's been months and months since I last updated this story, I know, and I'm very sorry to all the readers and people who have marked this story as an alert or a favourite. I know my style of writing has changed a little over the months, and if you don't like it then feedback it to me, I'll try and handle this story in a different manner. Although I must say this chapter is filled with dialogue, and I never was any good at handling dialogue.

This chapter is a little on the short side, I know, but there's a reason why I haven't updated in so long and it's because I simply don't know what to write. It's strange, now that I've started the story I totally don't know how to continue it. I guess it'll take some time before I can churn out the next chapter, although I promise I'll try and get it up by mid-February or so. Sorry to all my readers!

**Chase**: Thanks for reading ya, I'll try and keep up with a better one soon. Why would anyone WANT to enter the military?? I'm only in it because my country practices conscription...

**Raven**: Yeah, the manga's good, but only up till a certain point. After book seven it starts getting repetitive, the illustrations are bad and there's not much else to be said about it. That's why this story is taking place only after book seven and not the 20-odd where the series is now.

**InTheYearOfTheCat**: Thanks for reading! Yes I know he does, but I don't really like the manga from book 8 onwards so I'm kind of telling the story my way now. Hahas.

**100FACES**: Yeah, it most likely will. The Pokémon world just gets bigger too fast for anyone to catch up, so I'm sticking to one region for now.

**Jarkes**: Yeah I know, I just don't like the story after Kanto. And volumes 30-40 is a little extreme, I think it's only up till the high 20-s to 30 zone.

And to all the other reviewers who said this was a great story, thanks so so much. This chapter could only be made thanks to all of you, because you gave me the motivation to even write it. I hope you'll continue reading ya. Not giving special individual replies because they all go along the lines of "Thanks for reading!", and once is enough times to say it. So to **Absh**, **Kefka**, **pichu**, **Latias**, **Hikari**, thanks a lot a lot for reading and reviewing. Any feedback would be nice, but thanks so much anyway!


	6. Viridian Mystery

**Forgotten**** Pasts**

**Viridian Mystery**

The sun had fully risen in the sky, but the day had not yet become the sweltering hot of noon. The old man sat on a reclining chair his grand-daughter had thoughtfully brought with her when she delivered his daily mug of coffee, lazing the morning away. It was one of the advantages of old age; when you got old enough, no one ever really expected you to do much, as long as you didn't get in the way of the young people. Not that his grand-daughter ever thought that way, there was a good young lady, yes sir.

While the old man was caught in his musings, a trio made their way up to the exit of Viridian City. He only started paying attention to them when they were twenty feet away; they were making such a racket he couldn't concentrate. He was just about to get all irritable when he saw that the troublemakers consisted of the two most famous people in the vicinity, and the last being his favorite kid. His sour disposition vanished instantly.

"Heeeeey! It's Yellow again! You sure are passing by this area a lot today, aren'tcha?" The old man raised his voice to make himself heard over Yellow's voice, which was actually the main cause of the sound he had been hearing.

"Heya mister! Yup, just passing by this time though." The little boy chirped. He sounded cheerful, the same Yellow as ever, but something was off… The old man shrugged it off. He was probably mistaken.

"Right. You three take care of yourselves now!" As they passed by, he held his mug up and waved them goodbye. Settling back, he banished the brief worries about Yellow from his mind and continued enjoying his morning.

--

The trio proceeded past the gates of Viridian City, the weird but nice old man with his coffee cup and entered Viridian Forest proper. Red was beginning to get tired of Yellow's constant stream of words and questions, but was still making an effort to keep things civil between them. Blue, on the other hand, was nonchalantly walking beside them, not speaking a word as they proceeded on deeper into the woods. He wished the brown-robed teen would help out in staving off Yellow's eternal curiosity a little, but that was probably hoping too much of him.

Viridian Forest was as peaceful as the first time Red had passed through it earlier that day, and none of the wild Pokémon seemed to notice them, let alone appear to want get involved in a fight of any kind. Red still found it extremely mysterious. While he did not exactly mind, Red couldn't help but wonder. Why was this forest so quiet? It wasn't eerie silence, either. It was just… peaceful. He thought of pointing this out to his fellow travelers, but doing so would have required him mustering enough energy to attempt to speak louder than the ever-speaking boy next to him, and he just did not feel like it just then. He resolved to think it out on his own.

They were a hundred meters into the forest when Red gave a sudden yelp and jumped. Yellow ceased talking, and both Yellow and Blue turned to their friend with concerned looks on their faces. Red's hands went to his belt and brought up a red and white sphere, which he brought up to eye level.

"What is it, Pika? Why'd you shock me like that?" Red demanded to know. The small furry Pokémon in the ball shook the tiny confines of its Pokéball, then pointed with a tiny paw to the ground in front of them.

"Why, do you want out?" Pika nodded its head furiously. "Well, if you say so..." Pressing down on the catch, Red let go of the device. With a sound like a small explosion and various puffs of smoke, the Pikachu appeared and landed softly on its front feet. Its expression was definitely one of happiness as it frolicked around the three travelers.

"Whoa, what's up with you today, Pika?" Red asked. He was bewildered by the sudden change of attitude. Maybe it was this forest; perhaps it affected Pokémon in some way. Or something. He said as much to the other two.

"You truly don't remember, Red?" Yellow's answer made him grit his teeth – how many times was that today? "Pika came from this forest. Just like I did."

"Ah. That would make sense. I guess you're happy to be home, eh buddy?" Red looked down at the Pokémon playing at his feet. Blue gave a non-committal shrug and started to walk on.

"Come on, let's keep moving. I want to reach Cerulean before nightfall today."

"Okay!" Yellow quickly followed Blue, but Red was too busy disentangling his Pokémon from his feet to notice. Then something struck him as odd.

"Wait – what do you mean, 'just as I did'? Yellow?" Looking up, he noticed the two had already moved on without him. "Hey, wait up!"

--

The three emerged from Viridian Forest just the sun began reached its peak in the sky. The breeze was small at best, and the adventurers began to find themselves sweating before long. They had met no one else in their short trek through the forest – everyone else probably had better sense than to stay outside in the heat.

Predictably, Yellow began to comment about the weather. It started off as innocent statements like "It sure is hot today, isn't it?", but it soon progressed to little complaints and whines. Soon, neither of the two less spoken pair could stand it anymore, and after multiple attempts by Blue to tell Yellow to be quiet, Yellow piped up with the suggestion, "Well then, let's take a short rest here! We'll go visit Brock, and maybe grab a bite to eat too. I didn't pack any lunch, so I'm starving!"

While Blue chafed at the idea of a delay, Red was all for the plan. "I didn't pack much either, just some light provisions. I'd been planning to stop by towns on the way, so let's go see this… Brock. Besides, something about that name sounds... familiar." That, more than anything else convinced Blue to go along with Yellow's idea.

So it was that the party found themselves outside Pewter City's gym. The place was large, but not overwhelmingly so; if not for the words PEWTER CITY GYM outside of it, Red would have mistaken it as another wing of the museum next door. It was solid-looking, but not much more than that. After what seemed an eternity of waiting, the intercoms just outside the gates of the gym sounded, and after a mechanical-sounding voice told them to "Please enter and wait", the doors slid open.

The gym itself was a flurry of activity. Trainers were all over the gym, training their Pokémon vigorously. Red saw many different kinds of rock-type Pokémon, but the most common seemed to be Geodude and Graveller, with the occasional Onix thrown in. There were several arenas in the building, and looking at them, Red could almost remember something, something about fighting here once, taking on trainer after trainer with a… something. One of his Pokémon. If he could just remember which one…

"Ah, there you are. Hey there, Yellow! How's my Golem doing there?"

Red's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a dark-skinned man, perhaps in his mid-twenties. His eyes were so small as to be mere slits, but his body was that of a well-toned fighter. He seemed like an amiable and friendly man, yet the arm which he used to pat Yellow's straw hat with belied his strength.

"Brock. It's been a while." Blue said, extending his hand. This surprised Red. From what he had seen so far, Blue was a taciturn and silent person; for him to greet someone first came as a shock if nothing else.

"Yes, it has been, hasn't it, Blue? When we last met, you were still a challenger in my gym. Now you're Champion runner-up, it's amazing how much you've grown!" Brock clasped hands with the youth. He then turned to Red, his manner growing silent and almost sad.

"Red. I've heard about what happened from Professor Oak. Do you really-?"

"Don't ask, you're the fourth to ask that of me today. And no, I can't remember anything." Red quickly cut in. He didn't think he could stand it if anyone asked him the same question any more that day. Did no one think that the question bothered _him_ more than anyone else? It was his memory, after all. It was painful enough having to live with it; he didn't need people prodding at it.

"All right, all right." Brock gave an audible sigh. "Well. I hope you will recover soon enough. Now, Yellow said something about lunch through the intercoms. I've had the gym staff prepare something, let's go eat, shall we?" Turning, he led the way deeper into the gym.

"Yes please!" Yellow quickly bounded after the gym leader. Red and Blue followed behind. Drawing up beside his rival, Blue asked, "So. Any memories coming back to you yet?"

Red looked around, took in the surroundings. "Yeah. Nothing definite. But I remember fighting here. With a lot of people. I recall a sense of desperation, but that's about it."

"Hmph. Well, at least that's something. Let's go, best not to keep the chatterbox waiting, or we'll never hear the end of it." Leaving Red's side, Blue quickened his pace. Red detached a Pokéball from his left and right side each; bringing up Poliwrath and Venusaur, he looked at them both.

"I saw you two, in my memory earlier. Did you two accompany me through here, as well?" He spent a while longer looking at them, but lacking Yellow's mind-reading capabilities, all he could tell from the two Pokémon's eyes were that they were obviously distressed. Sighing, he replaced the spheres at his belt, then hastened to join his fellows for their meal.

--

A/N: I am so terrible, in that I can spend years on end in between chapters. I admit it, and I am so very sorry to all my dear readers out there. I'm the kind of person that once I hit writer's block, I keep trying to move the story on paper, and eventually I take so long that I mostly forget about it. I HAVE been thinking about how this story should progress, but in between army life and my personal social life I've had so little time that I basically haven't given much thought to it. Heck, this chapter was kind of rushed too, because I didn't really have any idea how it ought to turn out as I started it. Subsequently, I made up everything as I went along.

Yes, my writing style has changed AGAIN, this time for the worse, I believe. When you're in the Service, you don't really get much opportunity to test your literary talents much, and my once-much-sharper brain has been dulled by the lack of exercise.

Now that I have more time on my hands, please look forward to further chapters in the making. Other than that, please, review this story if you have the time ya. Any feedback on writing style/storyline/grammatical and spelling mistakes would be highly appreciated, as would suggestions. Thanks!


	7. Rhydon's Rampage

**Forgotten Pasts**

**Rhydon's Rampage**

"Mount Moon, huh. It's been a long time since I was last here." Blue said over Yellow's head.

It had been an hour after the trio had left Pewter City behind. What few wild Pokémon that had been foolish enough to challenge them (Two Ratatas and a Jigglypuff) had been taken care of by Yellow, who had promptly put them to sleep with his Butterfree's Sleep Powder. Red had been curious as to his choice of attack; wouldn't a direct attack such as Confusion had been much more effective and reliable?

"Oh, I prefer not to harm them. After all, they didn't do anything wrong." Yellow had cheerfully replied, then skipped after Blue. Blue seemed accustomed to this, too. Maybe they knew each other from before. Well, it was not as if Red disapproved of the method, so he had no longer asked about it.

Now, Red found himself in front of a yawning entrance of what was obviously a large cave. The inside of it was dark, but not so dark as to obscure sight entirely. There was a certain dampness to the place, but that was normal; caves of this size were always damp. Red caught himself there, wondering where that thought had come from. So he'd been to caves before, huh? Enough to know about the characteristics of them, at any rate. He decided to file the thought away for future reference.

Noticing that Red wasn't making any obvious moves to his Pokéballs, Blue impatiently spoke up again. "Red, get Pika to use Flash, would you? I can see well enough, but it'd be easier walking in a cave with better lighting."

"Right…" Red was about to reach for Pika's Pokéball, when the cave was abruptly flooded with light. Looking around for the source, the two youths' gaze found Yellow holding a Pikachu in both arms with a pleased expression on his face. The Pikachu was glowing a bright yellow light that slowly subsided, but the light in the cave remained.

"Ah… I'd forgotten about your own Pikachu. At least you had the basic sense of activating the ability in a cave, unlike Mr. Amnesia here, Yellow." Blue's snide remark made Red bristle.

"What was that? You wanna go at it, Blue?"

"By all means, I'd like to see you try…"

The pair walked deeper into the cave, bickering all the way. Yellow followed behind, both at a loss of what to do to placate the two rivals, and happy that Red was finally looking to be his normal self again.

--

Hours passed, and the party was well into the cave. They alternated usages of Flash between Chuchu and Pika, to conserve the Pokémons' energy. The journey through Mount Moon was relatively uneventful, and while Red was hopeful of seeing (and perhaps capturing) a Clefairy, they had had no such luck thus far. His argument with Blue had ceased, being drowned out by Yellow's constant commentary. Neither of them were really making much effort at trying to keep up with the little boy, but Yellow did not seem to mind; he was obviously still excited about seeing Red. Red had no idea why, though.

Who _was_ this little kid to him? Somebody important? He had to be. No one got this excited about seeing someone else, unless that someone else was someone close. A brother, maybe? Red dismissed the possibility as soon as it came to his head. Surely he'd remember someone as close as that. Besides, from what he had managed to pry from Yellow, he'd been born in a forest, and Red was pretty sure he wasn't a citizen of any forest. So who could Yellow be?

Lost in thought, Red followed just behind Blue, too close, as a matter of fact. Thus when Blue came to a sudden halt, Red crashed headlong into his back, sending both of them sprawling onto the floor with shouts of surprise. Red's head smashed solidly onto the stone ground. Sitting up, he removed his cap and began to rub at the spot, where he could tell would be a bruise for the next few hours at least.

"Ow ow ow… Why'd you stop so suddenly, Blue?"

"You idiot! If you had only paid more attention to your surroundings, you wouldn't have crashed into me in the first place!" raged the angry Blue. The argument quickly escalated, and Yellow joined into the fray, trying to stop a fight from breaking out. It seemed inevitable, until a roar from deeper in the cave stopped all three in mid-sentence.

"What was that?" The alarm in Red's voice was evident.

"_That_, was whatever had stopped me before you came crashing into me, you clumsy dolt!" Turning his head to the direction where the roar had come from, Blue peered deeper into the cave. Certainly he'd stopped because he had heard something, but that was _not_ what he had heard…

Then a shriek filled the air, a shrill, resounding cry that could only have belonged to a female in distress.

"Come on, we've got to help whoever it is!" Red broke into a run, with Blue and Yellow close behind him. Rounding a turn in the cave, Red collided head first into what seemed like a solid rock wall. Bouncing back, he fell right into Blue, who managed to catch him before they all ended in yet another embarrassing sight on the cavern floor.

Confused, Red looked up at what had blockaded his path. His first thought was that they had come to a dead end; then the 'wall' in front of him began to turn around to face him. In doing so, Red grasped that it was a huge being; it looked every bit of an enormous, grey rhino standing on two legs, with obviously powerful limbs and claws to match. But what really stood out from the creature was its drill that replaced the horn that normal rhinos would have had.

"A wild Rhydon…" Blue said behind him. Stabilizing himself, Red crouched low in a defensive stance, when he spotted the source of the scream earlier – a woman in a maid's outfit. She was down, cowering in the middle of the cavern passageway with her arms over her head behind the immense Pokémon. There was yet another Rhydon further behind her, some distance away but charging at full speed. It would not be long before the second behemoth would reach her, and there was no telling what would happen to the woman if it reached her before they did.

"Blue! There's a lady behind the Rhydon, and another one going straight for her! You and Yellow distract it, I'll hold the second one off!" Without waiting for a reply, Red began to dash off to one side, hoping to circle around the Rhydon immediately in front of him. He heard two mini-explosions, and the roars and growls of Blue's Charizard and Yellow's Golem came to his ears. Roaring, the Rhydon turned to face the two new threats, leaving Red's path to the woman clear.

Or that was what he thought. While turning, the Rhydon's large tail managed to accidently swipe at Red while he was passing by, sending him flying. Crashing to the floor, Red slid to a halt where the woman was crouching. She was jolted out of her fear at the sound of his landing.

"Oh! A-are you all right?" Red tried to stand, and found that he could, albeit being a little wobbly on his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. No time for that now, get behind me!" Grabbing hold of one shoulder, Red thrust the woman behind, and turned to face the fast-approaching Rhydon. Reaching for a Pokéball, his fingers found one and he blindly threw it out, hoping it was what he had been looking for.

He was in luck. As the smoke cleared, another huge form materialized, this one a furry black with short arms and legs, which seemed to end in patches of yellow. The claws on both of them were obviously not meant for tearing at an opponent, but the immense bulk gave a sense of power to the Pokémon. A determined expression crossed the Snorlax that Red had summoned out, and it stood its ground in the face of the rampaging Rhydon charging at it.

_Thank God I threw the right one!_ Red thought to himself. It was as if his hand had known which one to choose from his belt. _No time to think!_ Red thought to himself, then began to shout a command to the Pokémon. He was unsure if it would listen, but a nagging voice in his head told him that it would.

"Snorlax, _Mega Punch!_" Grunting, Snorlax's fist began to glow, a bright white that intensified steadily. Drawing its fist back, it let out yet another grunt, then smashed the rock-hard skin of its opponent with as much strength as it could muster, just as it came into range. The Rhydon's charge stopped, it stumbled back a few steps, then found its balance again. Roaring once again, it pawed at the ground as it readied itself for another lumbering charge.

Snorlax, on the other hand, appeared injured by its own attack. Its own first was bruised, and while it faithfully stood its ground it was apparent that if the pattern kept up, Red's Pokémon would sustain more injury than the wild. Wracking his brain, Red considered his options. Call Snorlax back? Would he have time enough to call another Pokémon to fend off the charge again? Red doubted it. Use Rest? Then the Rhydon would simply bypass his Snorlax!

Red had not much time to think, as the Rhydon began to charge once again. Just then, another memory struck Red. This had happened before… His vulnerable Snorlax, and an impending attack… What had he done then?

"Snorlax, _Harden_! Then use _Body Slam_!" Red shouted out. In response, the Pokémon merely grunted again, but its body was already hardening; he could hear the _plik plik plik_ of its body as it obeyed the order. The Rhydon charged closer, and it seemed as if Snorlax would be taken out before it could execute its second move, when the newly-hardened Snorlax hurled itself at the raging rhino. Rock met hardened skin in a resounding crash, and Rhydon found itself not only stopped, but airborne and flying backwards in a manner it had never experienced before. Roaring in shock, the Rhydon fell heavily to the ground.

"All right, Snorlax, return! Next up, Poliwrath, finish the job!" Red found his body and voice moving automatically, each action as natural as the last. As Snorlax returned to his belt, Poliwrath's Pokéball went flying, and the frog fighter appeared in front of Red, just as his adversary managed to pick itself off the floor. Roaring in anger this time, the Rhydon began pawing the ground once more, getting ready for its third charge.

"No, you don't! Poliwrath, _Mach Punch!_" Hopping from one leg to another, the Poliwrath sounded out its agreement, and then simply _disappeared_ from the Rhydon's view. When it next noticed the Poliwrath, it was already right in front of the rhino, fist bearing down on its rock-hard belly. The combination of both speed and power was too much for the Rhydon's skin to bear, and several cracks appeared from the impact as it gave one final roar and fell backwards. It landed with a heavy thud, and lay motionless.

"Good job, Poliwrath! Return, and get some rest." Recalling his Pokémon, Red relaxed from his fighter's crouch, wiping sweat from his brow. His body seemed to be recalling things on its own; he was puzzled, but glad that it did when he had needed it to.

"Oh crap! That's right, Blue, Yellow, are you guys all right?" Suddenly remembering his comrades, he whirled around to face an astonishing sight: Yellow patting the wild Rhydon on its head, which had bowed down low enough for him to do so with a blissful expression on its face. Blue was leaning against the cavern walls, calmly observing Red.

"Yeah, we finished up with ours long ago, and I've been watching your battle for quite some time now."

"_What?_ And it didn't occur to you to help? You selfish little-"

"Calm down. I wanted to see how much of a liability in battle you would be after your little memory loss. Clearly, you haven't lost much of your skills… Although, they're still inferior to mine." Blue smirked arrogantly.

"Why, I oughta-" Red fumed, and it looked like a second fight was about to break out, when a voice broke in.

"Master Red!"

Red had barely turned around when he was tackled by the woman. Fortunately, she was light enough that Red was still able to keep his balance.

"What? You know me? And what's with the _Master_ Red business?" He detached the woman from his chest, and held her at arm's length. Relief shone naked on her face, and she gushed, "Oh, thank you, Master Red, for saving me! I thought that it was all over for me back there!"

"All right, you're welcome, but who are you? Why do you know me?"

"Master Red… Don't you remember? I'm one of the maids of the Waterflower house. Of course, you wouldn't remember someone like me, but the Mistress never ceased talking about you while you were away." Blue raised an eyebrow at that.

"Huh. Red, I never knew you and Misty were in that kind of relationship."

Red blushed. "We're not! At least, I don't think we are. Who the hell's Misty, anyway?"

"Master Red, you jest! You haven't forgotten our Mistress, have you?" The concern was obvious in the woman's tone. There was something about the concern that made Red at a loss of words.

"No, it's not that, it's just… Well, I've lost my memory, you see, and it's kind of difficult to remember people when you can't remember anything else but your own name. You understand, don'tcha?" Scratching his head, he cocked his head and looked at the maid.

"O-oh… I see… But I must thank you, kind sirs, for rescuing me. I would invite you to the estate, but I'm afraid that until the Mistress is found, the estate is off-limits to all outsiders…"

Yellow broke in at this point. "Wait, until the Mistress is found? She's gone missing?"

"Yes… She's been missing for weeks now! One night, she just up and left… Her Pokémon are all still here, but when Sharon went in to wake the Mistress, she wasn't there. We've been searching for her ever since…" The little maid appeared to be on the verge of tears.

"And you came here, to search for her? Without any Pokémon of your own? That's stupid." Blue's acidic comment was merciless. The woman looked as if she would burst in tears at any moment, but gathered the courage to reply, "No, no… I did bring a Pokémon, but against those huge beasts my little Goldeen just couldn't do anything…"

"Blue, ease up on her. It's not her fault." Red chided. Blue only turned towards the two Rhydon. "Feh. Fine. But what she said bothers me. Rhydons are not native to Mount Moon. Why would there be two Rhydons here, rampaging about?"

Red shrugged. "Don't look at me."

"They've been terrorizing the area for weeks…" Timidly, the woman spoke. "It's strange, now that I think about it, but they appeared around the time when the Mistress disappeared. Maybe…"

Everyone was quiet for a while, pondering the implications of that. Predictably, Yellow was the one who broke the silence.

"Come on, we're not going to accomplish anything standing around here. Why don't we go on to Cerulean City, and rest up a bit there? It's getting late!"

"What about the Cerulean Gym? We came here to investigate that." Blue objected, but Red waved it aside.

"Sounds like a good idea, Yellow. I'm exhausted after that battle! Let's go find a hotel to stay for the night, then we'll investigate in the morning when we're all rested up. What say you, Blue?"

"…Fine. Let's go then." A martyred expression wrote itself on Blue's face as he turned and strode towards the cave exit. Yellow grabbed the lady's hand and led her out of the cave, while Red trailed behind.

_Misty._

He had lied about not knowing that name. It triggered… something, in him. A head full of fiery red hair. A slim, petite body. A… Gyrados? Searching his belt, he detached a Pokéball from it. Looking at the small Gyrados within, he stared at it for a long time, while it stared back, puzzled. Sighing, Red shook his head and placed it back where it belonged. A final thought struck him, but as quickly as it did it faded away.

_A dream about… someone leaving._

Shaking his head, Red continued walking his friends.

--

A/N: Finally, after six chapters, the first battle of the series! It was rather short, for which I apologize, but hey, it's two wild Pokémon against the Champion, the Runner-up and the little boy who saved the world, what kind of fight would you expect? And yes, I know Snorlax does not learn Harden normally, but in the manga it used Harden, so I thought I'd dreg up another piece of Red's memory and use it here. Don't blame me, read the book.

I didn't really want to reveal the name Misty this early, but heck, she comes from Cerulean City, which is the 2nd Gym in the series. It's kind of hard to drag it out, so I decided to put her name out right now. For those who are just a little more perceptive, you've probably already figured out something that's going to be a key point in this narrative, but just pretend you haven't, all right?

**Hikari-Chan**: Wha?? That isn't what came up in my manga. Green's the girl, and the guy is called Blue. The one with the Charmander as his starter?? O_O


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